Revolutionary or Evolutionary Change? A Tale of Two Labor Market Structures

Abstract

Scholars have argued that changes in the U.S. corporate economy in recent decades transformed labor market institutions in revolutionary ways. Although there is a fair amount of evidence in support of these claims, other studies suggest that labor market change in this period was more gradual. This paper synthesizes research from multiple disciplines to assess whether the transformation of two main labor market structures – closed employment relationships associated with internal labor markets (ILMs), and job structures within these ILMs – was revolutionary or evolutionary in recent decades. It then specifies implications of the labor market transformation process for human resource management (HRM), and concludes by suggesting avenues for future research.

Citation

Dencker, J.C. (2006), "Revolutionary or Evolutionary Change? A Tale of Two Labor Market Structures", Martocchio, J.J. (Ed.) Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management (Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management, Vol. 25), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-7301(06)25001-1